UlasanAnime.com – My reading pace has been significantly slower lately, with one of the primary reasons being my delve into Fate/Extra. This marks my first completion of a Japanese RPG-style game to a significant degree since Valkyria Chronicles 1, a considerable time ago.
Beyond the common lament of limited time and fluctuating interests, a major draw for Aksys’s localized version of Fate/Extra was, of course, its English translation and the inclusion of Tange Sakura as Saber Extra. This “Red Saber,” known for her see-through skirt, was a highlight, and I thoroughly enjoyed her portrayal despite the PSP’s inherent limitations on voiceover capacity.
During my sole playthrough, I chose to align with Rin Tohsaka. However, I felt she deserved more dialogue and screen time. The prospect of replaying the game with Caster, voiced by Saito Chiwa, remains a strong incentive. It’s clear the voice actor selection was deliberate and well-executed.
A part of me is also tempted to replay it just to encounter Ryogi Shiki. While this might be considered a spoiler, she’s actually an optional unlockable boss accessible in the New Game+ scenario, so it’s not a direct plot revelation.
There are numerous intriguing aspects of Fate/Extra that often go undiscussed. This might be due to their perceived lack of importance, or perhaps because players find the repetitive rock-paper-scissors mechanics too tedious to endure repeatedly.
I’m curious if the game sold well enough to justify the development of Fate/Extra CCC, or at least to make it available for download by the time I eventually acquire a Vita—a prospect I highly doubt will happen this year. On a related note, I must express my profound disappointment with GameStop’s preorder program. I preordered the game before moving and neglected to update my address. When GameStop attempted to bill me, the issue of the incorrect address arose, leading to a back-and-forth with customer service. After the address issue was resolved, they refused to ship the preorder bonus with the game. Despite emailing them, the bonus has yet to arrive, and this occurred approximately three months ago. Had I known this would be the outcome, I would not have purchased the game physically, nor would I have bought it from them at all.
Regarding Red Saber’s narrative, I found her story compelling, although I struggled to fully embrace its plausibility. It seemed to mirror reality more closely than Saber’s original plea for gender-swapping, which paradoxically made the details easier to question.
My interpretation of Red Saber’s legacy is somewhat akin to the “First Love” narrative of Hare from Guilty Crown. It’s not necessarily about how history portrays her, but rather a personal interpretation. This unfortunately leads to a spoiler within a spoiler, which is a cop-out on my part, as the most engaging elements of the game are likely spoiler-heavy.
Shifting to non-spoiler territory, I discovered during gameplay that there’s a finite number of rock-paper-scissors patterns to memorize, and not all of them appear in the same level. This system worked effectively because each dungeon level is typically revisited only two to three times per in-game week. After facing the challenges once, recalling the correct move choices for guessing became intuitive. Saber’s high tolerance for errors also contributed significantly to this ease of play.
Ultimately, Fate/Extra provided a fun diversion, though it did take longer than I anticipated. I likely could have avoided so much grinding towards the end. Is it worth playing? Its value is primarily for fans of Type-Moon, those who appreciate the voice cast, and players drawn to its moe and otaku sensibilities. However, you likely already knew that. What you might not have realized is that, unlike some potentially “kusoge” (bad games), the game’s system is smooth and unobtrusive. As long as you remember that the square button teleports you and the triangle button skips dialogue, you’re set for a good time.
If the sentiment “omg Omo finished a JRPG! It can’t be good” resonates with you, then this experience should serve as a reaffirmation of that belief.
You might also be interested in : The Master of Idleness
